Year One
by Lycanthropic Nerev
Summary: One year after the Oblivion Crisis Favonius, a former Blade, investigates a string of murders in the Mages Guild. As the killer eludes him again and again, Favonius realizes that it may be a ghost from his own past.
1. Chapter 1

Year One

Prologue

_Dear Commander Varrus, Acting CO of the Imperial Guard_

_I appreciate your cooperation in helping to investigate the recent occurences and incidents regarding higher-ranking members and former members of the Mages Guild. As Regent Ocato and his advisors have no doubt lectured you on to the point of redundancy, the use of Guild Guides and other Mages Guild services has at times been all that has held our stumbling Empier together in these troubled times after the Oblivion Crisis. Due to the repercussions of those events, we have had thrust upon us great responsibilities that niether of us may have been fully prepared to shoulder._

_I believe that your investigating officer, former Blades Agent Favonius, despite his track record of efficiency and discreet service, will be unable to identify and apprehend any valid suspect. As you have no doubt been made aware, only a powerful mage could have executed these murders in such a way as was done. As such, I am sending my own man, Evoker Jorran, a Redguard born here in Cyrodiil, due to the fact that he lacks all of the abilities necessary to create such a crime scene as the ones found, yet would not be totally helpless should the attacker refuse, as many of the members of my Council have come to believe, to come peacefully._

_I do not believe that you need a reminder, Commander, of exactly what is at stake should many more of my mages fall to this killer. So to ensure the maximum of efficiency and ability, my man is to be kept completely in the loop, given all information at all times._

_Best of luck to you and your investigation,_

_Acting Arch-Mage of the Cyrodiil Mages Guild,_

_Master-Wizard Raminus Polus_

**Imperial Guard Compound, Imperial City, 5 Last Seed, 4E1**

"I don't need a partner." Favonius snarled, standing. It wasn't that he didn't mind the idea of someone else shouldering the work for once, but he noticed that errors in communication and differences of opinion could slow things down just when they needed to start to hurry.

"Agent Favonius, we have no choice." Commander Varrus sighed, leaning forward on his desk and rubbing his sore temples. He usually gave Favonius free run of any investigation he couldn't handle, but if Polus wanted something done his way, it had to be done his way. "I know you are perfectly capable of investigating on your own, as you have shown repeatedly since your discharge from the Blades-"

Favonius glared. That was still a sore subject for him, and in all likelihood it would always be.

"Sorry," Varrus said, remembering the circumstances. "But in either case, Polus wants his own man on it."

"Great. Someone for me to babysit for them while I'm trying to save thier asses. Any other good news?"

"No. Just remember, without the Mages Guild, what's left of the Empire-"

"-Has no infrastructure. I know. I used to be a part of the system, remember?"

"Yes, I remember. As such, while it may be tempting to draw this killer out using this Jorran guy as bait, that won't help if it makes the Mages Guild withdraw thier support."

Favonius sighed. He hated working with mages, always had, but even moreso now that a word from Polus would make or break a man. He found most of them to be arrogant pricks, but he knew Varrus was right, wether or not he needed a mage to find this guy, he did need to keep relations good with the Guild. He hated politics so much.

"Well, I guess I'll get started. where can I meet this Jorran guy?" Favonius said, exhaling in resignation as he leaned his hands on the back of the chair. While he was no longer a part of the Blades, the rigorous mental and physical training was sometimes all that kept him from just giving up in the new way of things. He didn't miss the irony.

"He's in Cheydinhal, you're to meet him there and investigate the latest killing. It's been frozen in the Mages Guild basement since they found her." Varrus pushed his chair back and stood up, giving Favonius a legion handshake before looking out his window over the recruits running training drills. He closed his eyes as Favonius slammed the door behind him, letting the noises of the training field rise in the air toward him.

_Good luck, or it's both our asses._ Varrus thought, with a bitter smile.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

Regent Ocato stat and listened to the endless reports. Generals losing wars, all land routes plagued with bandits and other unseemly types, and to top it off a serial killer attacking mages all over Cyrodiil. It was times like these he wished that he had let someone else take the Chancellor job and he had stayed on as Arch-Mage. At least then he would be making money as the middleman instead of dealing with sycophantic politicians and nobles who wanted a piece of a pie that increasingly looked as though it was beyond saving.

"So, Raminus Polus has sent his own man to investigate the recent killings, particularly the most recent one in Cheydinhal," The Servant Atronach he had summoned continued, "the Imperial investigator is Former Blades Agent Favonius-"

"Hold, Favonius?" Ocato interrupted, sitting straighter and immediately paying attention. "Tell the pen-pushers down in the archives to pull the classified file. I want it up here by this evening."

"Sir?" The Atronach asked, it's shimmering orange face twisted in a caricature of a confused human "If I may be so bold, your reaction is very atypical of you. Normally you are unconcerned with the specifics of-"

"Do not question my orders, or I'll banish you back to Oblivion. I want all information on Favonius, no questions."

"Yes my lord, it shall be done." The Atronach said before it dissapeared in a shimmer of flame.

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Favonius had to use the Guild Guide to get to Cheydinhal. As the only safe method of transportation, it was horribly overcharged, but it was this or dead on a roadside. Even a Blade, let alone a washed-up, former Blade, would think twice about taking a road. He frowned, knowing that he was trying to save the mages that were slowly strangling the Empire.

He materialized in the main foyer of the Cheydinhal Mages Guild. Several local guards surrounded a door, along with a handful of battlemages. He remembered even a year before this place had been a rot. The scandal with Falcar hadn't hurt in the long term, though. It had, strangely, helped the place. Money and resources were given to the Cheydinhal Guild to make up for the understaffing, and it had flourished since the Crisis. It had new equipment, it's own enchanting center, and quite a bit of superflous decoration, something that had always grated with the spartan lifestyle Favonius had been trained into.

Favonius approached the basement door. After the typical question and answer session with the guards, Favonius was finally allowed access to the basement.

The reek of burnt flesh hit first. Then the stench of a temporal rift spell. The room had been frozen as soon as it had been discovered that a mage had been killed. Favonius at least could appreciate the quick thinking. As he entetred the room he also saw that someone else was there.

The Redguard was in all likelihood Jorran. He stood apart from the gruesome scene and took in the details. Favonius comitted the room to memory himself before approaching.

Lying on the floor was a charred, skeletal Argonian. As Deetsan, the Guild Head, was the only missing Argonian from the town, it was assumed to be her. Nothing in the room had been disturbed, but Favonius knew that it very well could have been, and made a mental note to closely inspect the tables and shelves.

"So, you must be Jorran."

"Favonius, right?" He replied. "Well, you can see that Deetsan looks to have been immoliated, but I don't think that's what killed her."

"And how is that?" Favonius asked. "It looks pretty well lethal to me, and it's hard to tell, but since Argonians don't chip I'd say no other wounds were inflicted."

"Ah, but you can't see what I see." Jorran said. "If you like, I can cast a spell upon you to temporarily let you see-"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"I don't do that. Just tell me what you see."

"Well, it looks as though a massive absorbtion spell was cast on her before she was mutilated. it's hard to tell, though, since the backwash from the flare and time spells are pretty visible too, but absorbtion spells have a very distinct signature."

"So you're saying that someone absorbed her life?"

"Along with her magicka, energy and abilities."

"What?"

"The absorbtion spell was massive. The fact that the killer masked his or her presence from the mages here and was still able to cast it suggests a truly powerful entity."

"What kind of power would it take to do that?" Favonius asked. He hated this investigation already. Here he was, a professional, and some mage was doing it all. He hated feeling useless.

"I don't know. My knowledge of any sort of offensive spells is limited, and while I do know Illusionary theories, I am absolutely useless at itself so I can't say how hard it would be to mask a magic signature from several different mages."

"So we don't know anything?"

"Not quite. While it's true that we are no closer to finding out how to stop this killer, we do at least know now his methods. First, he absorbs everything from the body. memories, experience, life itself. Why, we still don't know. But we also know that, in order to mask his own magic signature, he unleashes a powerful fire spell on the body to keep anyone from identifying the cause of death."

"Wait, how can you tell then?"

"People say I'm a mysticism prodigy. I can see the world as others don't, wether or not that's true."

_I hate mages. So much. _Favonius found himself thinking, almost jealously.


End file.
